South Africa, Opportunity & Threats: Where is this legislation process taking us and what can be done to maximize opportunity for all?

Carmen Ray

Carmen Ray

Well-Known Member
2 Grow Journal of the Month
October 2023 Member of the Month
February 2024
I wonder if anyone might know something that could point me in the right direction. I am quite aghast at the pace at which dagga legislation is picking up speed, and alarmed by the trajectory it appears it is taking. I have been watching Fields Of Green For All (FOGFA) for a while, and I think that they are possibly self-interested parties, who have become self-appointed public advocates and are promoting certain kinds of legislation, which is moving quite quickly I think. They sell the right to access to their information via membership fees. On May 24th the Goverment Gazette published a notice about CBD and THC content that I don't completely understand but it worries me that even private users may be prevented from using THC legally, beyond certain levels. There's a lot to be very concerned about in my view. Small-scale farmers should be empowered now and have access to finance, to improve income at household level, and to generate capital for local economic development. But, I worry that over-licensing and over-regulating is going to see the same economic divide perpetuate, as big-agri and big-pharma sweeten the government to their own ends. As far as I am aware, there has not yet been a transparent consultative process, I am not reading stories about research that projects income growth and economic development for the man in the street who might become a canna-entrepreneur. Do you know of anything by any chance? I feel that there is a steam train that needs to be stopped, and fast...
let us focus on local economic development and private usage
 

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Hey sister Carmen :ganjamon: Things are getting very blurry regarding grow licensing, looks like there's loads of corruption & politics involved and it's not going to turn out well for the cannabis industry in South Africa unfortunately.

Google this:
"South Africa's Secret Legal Medical Cannabis Farm" - dodgy shit. From there you'll find a couple more articles that may piss you off lol.
Hope you're having a lekker evening :passitleft:
 
irie lion said:
Hey sister Carmen :ganjamon: Things are getting very blurry regarding grow licensing, looks like there's loads of corruption & politics involved and it's not going to turn out well for the cannabis industry in South Africa unfortunately.

Google this:
"South Africa's Secret Legal Medical Cannabis Farm" - dodgy shit. From there you'll find a couple more articles that may piss you off lol.
Hope you're having a lekker evening :passitleft:
Click to expand...
Hey Brotha Irie, I have known about the one at uShaka at the trade port for a long time, but was of the understanding that they were growing high end thc strains? I also know about the Lesotho one, owned by Bophelo Bioscience and Wellness (Pty) Ltd. It was a no brainer to put money on government greed and corruption, but I don't know how two wit ous gain celebrity and funding enough from a freaking arrest, to maneuver themselves into a position of influence in our tanking economy. They have no right. They have no mandate. We do things differently in South Africa. Politics here is meant to ensure that people at local and branch level can mobilize their Councillors to advocate on their behalf. So, the structures have eroded significantly in a couple of decades and we are where we are. At least the Mandela and Mbeki governments gave much consideration to stimulatory projects and initiatives that would give rise to local economic development. They don't have a saak for that anymore. My career has been in NGOs dedicated to economic improvement for the poorest of the poor, but I was made redundant because NGO funding was diverted to government after 94. After that, I just got contract work around the time of every election... basically research interventions for LED, but without being funded after elections.... so literally selling communities a bunch of lies to garner votes for the ruling party. We have so much intelligence and experience here in the field of local economic development. What should happen is that there should be a legally constituted public consultation process nationwide, like they do on all other big issues affecting our livelihoods. Researchers should be conducting field research in a cross-section of localities, to get indications of how potential stake holders see opportunity in the sector for themselves, some demographic measurements for development purposes, and a critical examination of the opportunities and threats in the broader economic development framework. Then, finance should be made accessible, and training made available. The government could provide specialist extension farm officers, to assist with co-operatives etc. Africa has a long history of community engagement and collective effort. It feels like we are losing this ability to mobilize as citizens. If we lose this window of opportunity, then we only have ourselves to blame quite honestly. If we hand our decisions over to the authorities we will lose our freedoms one by one. The Dagga Couple should focus on keeping themselves and their members out of jail, but they have no clue how to develop an economy and I resent their interference in policy making. I am talking to former colleagues to see if there is anything that can be done to make our objections heard and felt, backed up by solid research and public consultation... ja boet... I am trying to still the anger... it's making me physically ill.... years of our people being fucked over by self-serving interests :ganjamon::Rasta::passitleft:
 
Policy must be inclusive and it must not be over-regulated. Anyone should have access to the market if they are of legal age. There should not be a single issue of licenses, and licenses should take different forms and be available ad infinitum to any small business owner who wishes to participate in the formal economy. There should not be a single price point for licenses. Only the medical industry should be heavily regulated and by science.
 
Question: What good reason would we want out collaborative efforts scrutinized by government agents, in terms of stock take, book keeping, and other records, unless we are growing for a corporate?... #NoToPrivateCannabisClubbyThingy FOGFA are trying to regulate this, and what concerns me, is that the legal language might exclude from legal activity, those of us who choose not to open our lives to the cops.... don't let them do this again / green gold ... don't let them take away my window weed :lot-o-toke: or my apothecary :lot-o-toke: or my friends :lot-o-toke:
 
In my view, the FOGFA Proposal For The Legal Regulation Of Cannabis In South Africa reads like a slick marketing brochure for a regulatory body. It conflates a whole lot of puff and ignores salient points. It over complicates something very simple. Yes, there is a medical industry, and we certainly do not need to advocate for it, as it is pretty well resourced. They will be regulated, as will their licensed growers and suppliers. Moving t.f. on!
We, The People.... have the right to participate in an enabling economic environment that has a people centred, development focus. We, The People, refuse to be regulated out of economic opportunities that come from the cultivation, production and distribution of cannabis. Let us stop referring to it as the Cannabis Industry. We, The People, want the right to grow our produce to whatever standard we wish, and allow the market to regulate itself. If you are concerned about BEEE, you can't get more "beee" than LED!
 
Themba Kepa, for the IIED has conducted research in Pondoland, looking at the effect of cannabis cultivation and trade on the livelihoods of the rural poor.
Pondoland Study
 
An apology: I posted a thread with a link to a social media page that I have started, not realizing that I was breaking site rules. Sorry for doing that.

A word about me and my use of social media. I guess my activities have some people worried about confidentiality and all that stuff. I understand if my friends here feel the need to pull back from interaction with me. That's ok; I do want to assure you that I don't want any risks that I am potentially taking to harm others.

I reactivated my dormant facebook account to launch a social media campaign (I actually loathe facebook and this is a necessary evil for me). The page will offer people a place to find information as it builds up, and contribute to public debate if they wish. There is a private working group that people like me can apply to join, but they have to answer three questions, and then on acceptance, have to introduce themselves and issue a statement of intention for their contribution to the campaign.

I have made a little bit of sound on Youtube, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram and Facebook. If this can get off the ground, we will assemble a team of specialist researchers and development planners, who are linked by their ethics and commitment to our country and the people of our country, and their decades of service to the development sector both here and abroad. This is not a funded initiative, so people are asked to volunteer skills and time to organizing an effective campaign. If we need to take it to the streets, we will need people who are experienced in those kinds of negotiations and who can rally stakeholders together for a march (no easy task). I would like to get a formal petition going, and a critical article written by a media heavyweight if possible. I have approached two media gurus in my private capacity and I await their responses. Then, I have contacted Thembela Kepe and I await his response. Our team will analyze existing research and propose a way forward in that regard. An intervention like this will only work if it is an organized, multi-faceted campaign backed by a lot of South Africans who are willing to show their faces at a march and take some risks.

The future hasn't happened yet. We, yes we, are all in the process of either making it happen, or allowing it to happen. We have the right to organize ourselves and protest. We have the right to initiate change for the better.
 
Please read this very good piece by Marius Oosthuizen for Daily Maverick, on the role that civil society has got to play in shaping our future ~ Role of Civil Society
 
Greetings. The South African Cannabis Advocacy page has generated a following of over 700 people in less than 3 days. I submitted a proposal to the editor of a political journal, and he has told me that he is going to publish extracts. I am in conversation with a local NGO who are already working with some Rasta groups in this regard. I have had correspondence from the CEO, who will set up a meeting with me. There is healthy, constructive engagement on the fb page, and there have been private messages with individuals too. I am in conversation with several development consultants who are friends and former colleagues. There is every indication that this campaign, launched a couple of days ago, is gathering interest, commitment and momentum. :thumb::thumb::thumb:
 
That was the most insane thing I have ever done. I am hanging back now. I grew up in an activist family and I'm getting old. I don't want to see my country tank. I want to see it prosper before I die #freetheweed I have deleted social media apps off phone and computer.... I got quite a few people into a space, so now I am going to go back to the garden. I don't have the stomach for this.... I just hope that enough people will talk sense with one another and push back.... night night :bong:
 
An update. Yesterday was our President's state of the nation address, and it was a disaster. We are tired of the same lies every year. I think the party's voters were being overly loyal and giving them a last chance to put their mess to rights. However there is no sign of that, because the Ministers who were in control of State Capture, are back at the helm in parliamentary oversight positions, in a complete take over by the Zuma contingent. With regards to the policy development here for what we call dagga, it has been largely swept along by a Section 21 Company, known as Fields For Green For All. Some of you might have heard of "the dagga couple". They have made great strides in fighting for certain freedoms for dagga use. On a close look at their promotional materials, there is little reference to any kind of specialist research that would inform their work. They are not entirely transparent in my estimation. Transparency would mean that their information would be freely available, as would their audited financial records, which should be public. However, they seem only to make certain information available to their paid up members. On questioning them about the finer points of regulation, in their proposal for a rehash of the Cannabis Clubs idea, they have ignored me for months. The wife, Myrtle, finally responded last night via email after I commented yet again in a public forum, in what I considered to be a reasonable and polite manner. This is her response: "
We are taking your comments into consideration. Maybe you would care to elaborate on what sort of regulation would suit you? How would you like it to work? One thing we know for certain in a very mixed up time in our campaign is that there will HAVE to be regulations.
A club can be as simple as a member and stock cultivation register in an exercise book or a complicated online system with all the bells and whistles.
Please understand that nothing is set in stone as yet, we are still working on our final proposals on all fronts.
We look forward to your input in a meaningful way and the best place to do that would be on The Green Network forum. We don’t reply to submissions on the Desired Outcomes document and that is why we have an auto responder set for that.
Let us know what YOU want legalisation to look like and why you think the government would implement YOUR suggestions because, after all, love them or hate them, they make the laws and we can’t change that fact!
Please stop being so rude and aggressive, it doesn’t help anything at a very very stressful time in our lives.
I don't take these kinds of accusations lightly. I do not believe that my approach has been rude or aggressive. I am simply asking questions that need to be asked. I am entitled to do that as a so called stakeholder and citizen of my country.
A document has surfaced, that is purported to be a Bill that covers dagga policy. I have a copy and next week, after the dust has settled from the Finance Minister's budget speech, I will take a copy of that to the Parliamentary Monitoring Group, to ask them to look into it. A fellow campaigner and stalwart activist has already given them a copy and my visit will simply be a follow up if at all necessary. The South African Cannabis Advocacy (saffacanad) facebook page has generated a good following in a week. There are about 2200 followers and a healthy engagement. Facebook caps page followings pertaining to dagga in South Africa at 2000, I am told. After that, you may get a few more but not at the same algorithmic rate. Understandably, a lot of people don't vocalize and that is likely due to privacy and security reasons, but I see the stats and there is a lot of viewing and some sharing of relevant posts about local economic development, and ideas that would help the majority poor in our country, to earn a living and reinvest in their communities.
I am working with some great people who really care about our country, and sadly I am being ghosted by some too. That's the nature of the beast, I guess.
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say no more

Power to the People / Amandla Awethu and stay warm but frosty. I miss chatting to some friends here, so just to let you know that you are on my mind and in my heart. See you on the other side and may the force be with you :circle-of-love::nomo::bong:
 
PS. For anyone who may have concerns about who I am and what my agenda is, my name is Carmen Ray Anderson. I am a former Durbanite, now living in Cape Town. I am a recreational and medicinal user of cannabis flowers and products. I reserve the right to self-medicate as I choose, and select my growers at will. I am a born and bred South African woman in my early fifties. My summarized career info is on LinkedIn. My work is in the public domain. I grow my own window weed, and that's as simple as it gets. I am not paid by anyone to do this. My work is in research into food sovereignty and mining activities. I get paid a modest hourly rate for this work as I am consulting, not employed. I would prefer to be growing a plantation of dagga and beneficiating, whilst continuing with photography and design, but there is a series of political and legal battles ahead if I wish to accomplish this in a legal environment. I do not currently have ANY commercial interests in dagga, other than procuring my flowers which remains an illegal activity. I will continue to do what I do regardless of their laws.
 

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